Cape Cod Intro to Night Photography
You’ve almost certainly seen night photos on Instagram. Photos of beautiful points of stars, a stunning Milky Way, light-painted sea shacks and endless ocean shores. If you’ve dreamed of making photos like these, but you’ve never tried, or you’ve tried and failed, then we’re here to help. Join us to learn among the open sand dunes, regal lighthouses, quaint cottages and quiet seaside villages of Cape Cod National Seashore.
Workshop Details
Main Workshop
September 27-October 2,2026
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of September 27, and ends after a final slideshow on the afternoon of October 2.
$2,295 + applicable taxes.
Skill level
Beginner. This workshop is for people new to night photography. Participants should understand the basic principles of photography, but need no night photography experience.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
NPS website
Add-On: Cape Cod Lighthouses
October 3-5,2026
This is a 2-night, 3-day add-on available only to attendees of the main workshop. Your adventure begins on the afternoon of October 3 and ends on the afternoon of October 5.
More information below.
$1,095 + applicable taxes.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
Workshop Leaders
Registration
| • Deposit of $800 is required to reserve your spot. |
| • Balance of $1,395 is due on June 29, 2026. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is June 28, 2026. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, entrance fees, or transportation to or during the workshop. |
The Intro to Night Photography Experience
Have you been interested in night photography, and perhaps seen our workshops listed before, but felt unsure about your skill level and whether jumping into five nights of shooting in the dark would be jumping in over your head? If so, then this workshop is for you!
We will base ourselves in Cape Cod in Massachusetts. If you’ve been in New England in autumn, then you know why it’s the best time of year to be here. The air is crisp and wonderfully cool, the cranberries and apples are in harvest, pumpkins and decorative scarecrows line local farm stands, the leaves are turning from green to just about every other color. It’s also home to scores of spectacular locations for learning and practicing night photography.
During the day we’ll teach you the background info on all the fundamentals of night photography. We’ll get you out into the field before dark, so you can see your way around and plan what you’ll do once night sets in. And we’ll be by your side the whole time, helping you grow from being just interested in night photography to being comfortable and knowledgeable enough to shoot in the dark on your own—or at more advanced workshops in the future!
The Cape Cod Lighthouses Add-On Experience
Now that you’ve got a handle on the basics, why not up your game a level or two and spend a couple of nights learning the specialized techniques involved with photographing lighthouses?
Cape Cod has a number of iconic beacons, and we’ll visit and photograph a couple of the best ones. The lanterns of each lighthouse are different––some flash on and off, some rotate and some burn continuously. One of the challenging aspects of photographing lighthouses is that the approach for photographing each one is different, but finding the solution to that puzzle is also what makes photographing them so rewarding.
Tim and Lance will be there with you each step of the way to help you develop your skills and confidence even more with both fieldwork and processing sessions.
Note: This optional add-on is available only to workshop attendees. You will receive a link to purchase a ticket (if desired) after registering for the main workshop.
What You Should Know
While this is a class for Beginner night photographers, it’s not for those new to photography in general. You should know how to use your camera and a tripod. You should be comfortable with the fundamentals of exposure—i.e., shutter speed, aperture and ISO, how they relate, and how to set them manually in your camera.
Night photography experience is not necessary. In fact, if you’ve been on one of our regular workshops before, then this particular workshop is probably not for you.
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
Our Intro to Night Photography is exactly what it sounds like. It’s for those who are curious about this genre but who have little experience with it. We’ll walk you through all the fundamentals, from how to get your camera gear ready for a night shoot, to how to focus in the dark, to how to determine exposure for star points. We’ll start the week working closely with you on every decision, and by the end of the workshop you’ll be ready to venture into the night on your own.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
camera settings
in-field gear setup
how to work safely in the dark
how to focus at night
determining exposure for star points and star trails
photographing the Milky Way
and more …
We do not tell our attendees what to photograph, but we will start several in-field demonstrations by lining up the group and walking you through the thought process and setup for that night’s shoot. Then we will encourage you to spread out and use what you have learned to create your own unique images. We’ll be there to guide you.
This workshop will have both field and classroom instruction, and plenty of time to practice night photography. At night, participants can stay out shooting as long as they, or their camera batteries, hold out. Each participant will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Lance and Tim in the field.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Nearby Airports:
Boston (BOS) —3 hours to Provincetown
Providence (PVD) —3 hours
Hyannis (HYA) —1 hour
Provincetown (PVC) — 0 hours
Rental Car
You will need a rental car to get to the workshop and to the shoot locations.
There is no need for four-wheel-drive.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Lodging & Food
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Lodging
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day.
Info and group code will be sent once our lodging partner is ready to begin taking reservations.
If you are interested in sharing a room, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
Varying food options are abundant, mostly at locally owned eateries, and as you might suspect, the seafood is excellent.
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great late lunch.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 60s F, and nighttime lows in the 50s.
Recommended Attire
Pants and long-sleeve shirts for daytime, sweatshirts and jackets for night.
A base layer might not be a waste of packing space. Layers are good.
Bring rain gear; it’s New England.
Waterproof hiking shoes are a good idea, as we’ll be working on sand and around water.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There won’t be any long hikes, but we will be doing short hikes on unmaintained trails, and you should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs page for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Learning to Teach …
“The towns on the Cape each have their own distinct character and flavor, and each draws a different crowd of people every summer.”
Cape Cod was one of the first places where I taught night photography workshops, all the way back in 2000. I had moved from San Francisco to the South Shore of Boston a year earlier, and was just starting to explore the Cape.
I sent a proposal to teach a workshop to the Cape Cod Photo Workshop program, and not only was it accepted, but they also asked me to help out with the entire program that year. It was a great experience, as I got to work with a fantastic roster of workshop instructors. In 4 short months, I felt like I had picked up years of experience, learning how to run, and equally as important, how not to run a good workshop.
It was also a great way to explore and get to know that beautiful arm-shaped piece of land jutting out into the ocean off the coast of Massachusetts. The towns on the Cape each have their own distinct character and flavor, and each draws a different crowd of people every summer. It’s a special place, and over the course of the 17 years I lived in south-eastern Massachusetts, I got to know it fairly well, traveling Route 6 from Sandwich to Provincetown always with an eye to that magical Cape Light.
